Friday, May 22, 2009

Dear Jerry

Thank you for your rigs. Without them this house would have fallen in on itself long ago.

Love,
pj

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Take The Long Way Home

"Take The Long Way Home" is one of my favorite songs and taking the long way home is one of my favorite things to do. It turns out my morning mission to snag tomato plants from my mother involved the long way there, too, due to road construction.

Crab told me when I got the Subaru a couple of years ago to stay off gravel!!! That is really hard to do when we live on a gravel road. For the most part I try to comply. Sort of.

Today I had a golden pass when I encountered road construction on the way to my mom's to get tomato plants. Crab (driving man that he is) understands not waiting a half hour for a pilot vehicle to lead you down a road for two miles that you can easily do without.

So I bypassed the wait and the pilot car and encountered this along the Lizard Creek, on a road I've traveled many times before. Today it was especially beautiful.


Canada Geese!


There were swallows nesting under the bridge. They ripped through the sky like fireworks. My presence was not appreciated. I tried to photograph them but they moved too fast and my digital camera is a POS. There is one at the top of this frame that features happy cows.


Happy Cows


After I crossed the creek, I had to stop and take another gander. So lovely!


Looking back at the Lizard


I made it to my mom's and picked up my tomato plants. And some rosemary. And some parsley and thyme (no sage -- what's up with that??). Oh, and some salvia and petunias because her petunias rock and mine are still teeny, tiny tunias. And I was angry at myself because I went up for ten tomato plants, came home with more plus the herbs and flowers.

The plan was to bust ass to get home and plant the darn tomatoes but I decided to visit a greenhouse in a small town that my mother (who has her own greenhouse!) loves. Besides, the new route fit in with road detour.

I went in to get some marigolds and found little French marigolds that I love. On the way to finding them I found 2 intriguing plants I'd never seen before. I got my marigolds, picked up the mesmerizing new plants and left without looking at anything else. Good grief! I could have spent thousands (on the plants and the hired labor to put them in the ground) had I looked around.

Then I took the long way home. On gravel roads.


Long Way Home


I would like to report that my tomatoes are now planted. But they're not. The wind was strong today and the plants are huge. They would have gotten whipped to shit.


Big Tomatoes


I did manage to get the marigolds in the ground and watered. Tomorrow we are under a "wind advisory". Just when you think you've hit the apex of windiness, you're wrong. The tomatoes will have to live until after Memorial Day. I have to get ready for a visit from Miss H and Mr. B.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Sort Of Like Capistrano

On May 1 I saw my first barn swallow of the year. This morning I opened the shop door and a couple of swallows hovered near the door, wondering if they could get in and start building nests. (No.) When I finished phase one of my project, the doors got closed again. Poor little birdies would not have been able to get out again.

Mom was right about the orioles returning the first part of May. Yesterday as I stumbled to the kitchen for my second cup of coffee I noticed an oriole sitting on the seed feeder. I ran outside, hung the jelly feeder and plopped jelly in the cups. I came back in the house thinking I'd frightened the oriole and I wouldn't see him again for days. I looked out the window and he was sitting on the feeder eating jelly. He's been active today, too, but very camera shy.

Today was rose breasted grosbeak day. I've seen two of them! The goldfinches are thick and fighting over sunflower chips and thistle seed. There are more Harris' and white capped sparrows than the boring house sparrows. It's starting to get colorful!

Sunday, May 03, 2009

I Made Dirt!

And I couldn't be happier about it. Here is my beautiful compost.


My compost



I don't think peach pits ever break down. The pile was full of them. There were egg shell pieces in there, too. I think I'm going to start smashing the egg shells up before I add them to the pile. I also found lots of squash seeds, but they were just shells. I love my new dirt!

The weather has been fantastic the last couple of days. The goldfinches have returned to my little corner of the prairie and are fighting over their feeders. Any day now I now the orioles will return. In the mean time, this little varmint sneaks out to clean up. His cheeks are stuffed.


Varmint